Bio and Materiality
Circadian Sea: Video
Yesterday I presented my thesis, Circadian Sea, to ITP faculty and students. Circadian Sea is an interactive display of bioluminescent algae. Cultures of Pyrocystis fusiformis are enclosed in a structure of transparent acrylic spheres, inviting users to manipulate and inspect the algae on a range of scales, from small groups of individually discernable plankton to [...]
Thesis: Visual documentation
In order to document my thesis work, I’ve been struggling to shoot photos and video of bioluminescent algae as it glows. The challenge stems from the fact that the algae only glows when it’s agitated, and it can only be seen in the dark. Last night I took a few pictures and shot some video [...]
Bio & Materiality: Solar Power from Stained Glass
A couple of weeks ago a visitor from Konarka came to speak to our Design Frontiers in Biology and Materiality class about their flexible and printable solar panels. The panels are extremely thin, bendable, and semi-transparent. They can be printed in different colors and patterns. I worked with Jill Haeffle and Elizabeth Fuller to develop [...]
Thesis: Midterm Presentation
Thesis Midterm Presentation Slides We had a few visitors in class last week, and I really enjoyed hearing their feedback on my thesis. In developing my presentation, I realized that I have several unanswered questions that I’m grappling with, outside of the technical challenges of developing a rewarding way for people to interact with bioluminescent [...]
Bio & Materiality: c-lab
We were asked to provide a short overview of someone working in Bio Art for our classmates in Design Frontiers in Biology and Materiality; I chose c-lab, an art/science studio lab based in London. It’s led by two artists, Howard Boland and Laura Cinti, who aim “to produce cultural holes that allow artistic exploration of [...]
Bio & Materiality: Bioluminescence
Our first assignment in Design Frontiers in Biology and Materiality was to recreate favorite science experiments from when we were kids. I immediately thought back to summer evenings I spent on Orcas Island, skipping stones into water that sparkled with bioluminescence. After doing a little reading to see if I could actually grow bioluminescent algae [...]